1. Field of the Invention
The present disclosure relates to a vacuum cleaner. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to a nozzle assembly of a vacuum cleaner, which comes in contact with a surface to be cleaned to draw in dust or dirt with air from the surface to be cleaned.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, a vacuum cleaner is provided with a nozzle assembly capable of drawing in dust or dirt from a surface to be cleaned. Such a nozzle assembly draws in the dirt or the dust from the surface to be cleaned by a suction force generated from a suction motor mounted in a cleaner body in a state where it comes in contact with the surface to be cleaned.
Such a conventional nozzle assembly has a drum brush disposed in an air inlet to scrape off the dust or dirt adhered to the surface to be cleaned thus to efficiently brush away the dust or dirt therefrom. The drum brush is rotated by a motor mounted in the nozzle assembly or by a kinetic energy of drawn-in air. A brush member or blade projected from an outer circumferential surface of the drum brush scrapes against the surface to be cleaned while coming in rotation contact therewith. When the brush member or blade scrapes against a portion of the surface to be cleaned, which is stained with the dust or dirt, the dust or dirt is scattered while separating from the portion of the surface to be cleaned, and is drawn into the nozzle assembly by a suction force of the suction motor.
However, since the conventional nozzle assembly scrapes against the surface to be cleaned only by the drum brush, dirt, such as a particle or the like, which is adhered to the surface to be cleaned, is separated well, but dirt, such as a hair, fur of a pet or the like, which is firmly stuck to the surface to be cleaned, particularly, a surface of carpet, is not separated well. That is, although the drum brush scrapes against the surface to be cleaned while rotating, scraping strength thereof is too weak to separate the dirt from the surface to be cleaned. Particularly, if spidery dirt, such as the hair, the fur or the like, is wound on cilia of the carpet, it is not easily separated from the carpet. In this case, there is an inconvenience in that to clean the carpet, a user should take the spidery dirt off one by one from the carpet, or clean the carpet again by using a cleaning outfit, such as a comb or the like.
In addition, the conventional nozzle assembly is provided with a connecting unit to join or separate an extended tube of a cleaner body to or from the nozzle assembly. One of such conventional connecting units include a ring connector installed in the extended tube, and a connecting pipe formed on the nozzle assembly to have a diameter larger than that of the extended tube thus to accommodate the extended tube. The ring connector has a fixing protrusion projected outward from an outer circumferential surface of the extended tube through an inserting hole of the extended tube, and the connecting pipe has a fixing hole formed in a position corresponding to the inserting hole of the extended tube to accommodate the fixing protrusion. Accordingly, if a user wants to join the extended tube of the cleaner body to the nozzle assembly, she or he inserts the extended tube into the connecting pipe. Then, the fixing protrusion is locked in the fixing hole and thus the extended tube and the nozzle assembly are joined to each other. To the contrary, if the user wants to separate the extended tube of the cleaner body from the nozzle assembly, she or he pushes the fixing protrusion with one hand. Then, the ring connector is deformed to allow the fixing protrusion to push in toward the inside of the connecting pipe, and thus the locking connection between the extended tube and the nozzle assembly is released. Under this state, when the user pulls the extended tube with the other hand, the extended tube is separated from the connecting pipe.
However, according to the conventional connecting unit described above, since when the user separates the extended tube from the connecting pipe, she or he should work using both hands with her or his body bent, it is very inconvenient to handle.
Also, the conventional nozzle assembly is configured, so that a nozzle assembly body is formed as a single body of plastic material. Accordingly, a problem may occur, in that in cleaning, the nozzle assembly body is easily damaged or scratched when it comes in collision with an external structure, such as an obstacle.